There are twelve recreational divers on the boat with me heading out from the Pacific coast. In our tight fitting wetsuits we look like a boat full of sea lions with human heads chatting away about the day’s prospects ahead – fish, fish and yet more fish.

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As beach resorts go, Playa del Coco is nice enough, but the true splendour of
the area lies not on the sands or in the surrounding hills, but beyond the view
of the average beach side vacationer. To really see it, you need to put on a scuba tank and a pair of fins to witness an underwater world as rich, if not richer in beauty and biodiversity as any of Costa Rica’s forests.

Although we are all very excited at the prospect of sharing this morning’s dive
with the regions sub aquatic wildlife, there is one particular creature that we
are all hoping to meet.

A Shark. In fact, a very very big shark- the biggest shark in the world – A whale shark.

Photo’ courtesy of Marc Bernardi.

I must admit to being apprehensive, after all, I am about to get into the water
with an animal that can grow to lengths of fifteen meters or more, but apart from it’s sheer enormity, it is the word Shark that makes me uneasy. Stephen Spielberg’s famous horror film Jaws sent me scampering for the back of the sofa when I was a kid. Sensationalist fiction it may have been, but it has left me with a healthy fear of these oceanic beasts.

Everyone becomes animated when we see our first sign that a whale shark is nearby-
a huge flock of noisome seabirds and pelicans wheeling above a patch of sea that
seems to be boiling with activity. They plunge like missiles into the water, surfacing
with bills full of juicy little fish.

We are given instructions to check our diving gear is in place and working correctly,
and reminded of the rules- do not scare the shark and do not try and ride it please.
I wonder if our guide is crazy – how can I, a hundred and forty pound human scare
an animal that may weigh fifteen thousand kilos? But apparently, they are very
shy.

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Once in the water we can see what is causing the commotion at the surface. Hundreds
of big fish chase little fish that glitter and sparkle in the water with their
silvery bodies. These smaller ones are after the dark clouds of tiny shrimp, which
are being herded towards the surface by two huge whale sharks. Their massive mouths,
almost five feet wide gape open, big enough to park a small car inside.

Wherever whale sharks go, an entourage of other animals accompany them, and it
is not uncommon to find giant bat like Manta rays swimming along side and clusters
of remora fish attached like limpets to the shark’s belly. But these days it is
not only fish and birds following, but also humans as well.

Whale sharks are filter feeders, sucking huge quantities of water and plankton
into their cavernous mouths. The water is then pumped out through massive gill
slits via a fine mesh like structure that captures the tiny prey.Despite their
enormity they are unable to swallow anything very big, which makes me feel better
about being so close- I would hate to be accidentally sucked up.

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We all keep our distance as they feed, not out of fear, but out of respect for
these colossal animals as they go about their business, siphoning a nutritional
soup of shrimp and plankton. This is a true magic moment and I would like to scream
with happiness- fortunately not possible with a regulator in my mouth, as this
would likely cause me to A) frighten the sharks away and B) result in my drowning.

Like all sharks, they do have teeth, thousand upon thousands of them set out
in well over a hundred rows, but unlike predatory sharks, these teeth are blunt
and harmless and I am in no danger as they glide slowly below me.